Subcommittee approves bill letting DMV share title data with towing operators, 5–4

A Virginia legislative subcommittee on the Department of Motor Vehicles reported out Senate Bill 595 by a 5–4 roll call vote, approving limited DMV sharing of title information with towing companies.

The sponsor said the bill addresses a practical problem: tow operators often already have access to national title databases but lack a reliable, DMV-mediated channel to confirm ownership when jurisdictions will not respond. Towing-industry witnesses described large inventories and financial strain; Thelma Drake of the Virginia Association of Towing and Recovery Operators said one business in Hampton Roads was holding about 900 vehicles. Industry witnesses said they worked with the commissioner and DMV staff to craft the approach.

Carla Jackson of DMV clarified that current law requires the department to contact jurisdictions to confirm title and lienholder information and that responses can take months or years; she said SB595 would let DMV retrieve information from existing databases and share the information DMV already holds with towers to resolve storage, mechanics, and billing issues. Jackson also said the administration had no formal position on the bill but provided operational clarification.

Delegates who supported the bill emphasized it would help towers obtain ownership and residency information needed to bill for services and relieve prolonged storage burdens. Opponents earlier raised privacy questions in related discussion, but committee members who voted to report the bill focused on operational relief for towers.

SB595 was reported out of the subcommittee by a 5–4 vote; the record did not include immediate implementation dates or funding changes.